Are you Breathless? Yes, Say the Houstonians

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Photos: Navin Mediwala and Liz Macias

 

Click here for Photo Collage

 

By Vanshika Vipin

HOUSTON : The jam packed audience of more than 12,000 people was indeed left breathless at the Bollywood 2015 ‘Breathless’ show held at Miller Outdoor theatre on September 12. On achieving the milestone of the tenth year, Bollywood Blast, produced by Samskriti and directed by Infused Performing Arts and Karmagraphy, got the entire theatre’s adrenaline on a dancing high.

Samskriti, true to its tag line, has been bringing both the eastern and western world of dance, on one stage through its persistent endeavours aimed at uniting different cultures through the medium of performing arts since 1994. One such effort has been ‘Bollywood Blast’ – a fable of creative expression spread across Houstonians dancing community with the common thread of Bollywood music. This year, 2015, marks Samskriti’s 21st Anniversary and It was the 10th Anniversary of Bollywood Blast & was a tribute to Anil Kumar.This year Dr. Rathna Kumar of Samskriti Indian Performing Arts collaborated with Kiron & Tina Bose from Infused Performing Arts  and Kavita Rao from Karmagraphy to create a heady mix of magical Bollywood dance, bold aerial acrobatics and engaging storytelling choreography.

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Glimpses of the Show

The audience got in the groove on the latest Hindi music hit ‘Girls like to swing’ from Dil Dhadakne Do movie. Kiron & Tina knew they would be able to swing the thousands to this enthralling dance. Continuing the momentum, the Infused Performing Arts crew performed hip hop dances on songs like ‘Thag le’, ‘anvai anvai’ and ‘party abhi baaki hai’. Versatility, the flavor of Infused Performing Arts, was visible in all acts performed by these groups. Tina Bose, the artistic director of the group, wowed the spectators with her Kathak Performance on ‘Radha Nachegi” whereas Kiron, the creative director, created grand magical illusions with fire on the racy number ‘Malang Malang’. Devotional fervour was showcased through human pyramid formation on ‘Shree Ganesha’ song whereas the funny bone was tickled through the ‘Thurki chokro’ in Rajasthani costumes.  The Infused group ended the performances with the contemporary medley act on Bollywood numbers. Infused Performing Arts provides Bollywood dance classes and custom choreography for special occasions and competitions, for all ages at their studios in Stafford, Pearland, Katy, and Dallas. Choreographers, Kiron Kumar and Tina Bose are well trained professional performers and dance teachers. They have been featured on ABC 13, Fox 26 and CW39 news. Their shows have a unique trademark of combining magic and dance on stage.

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If there was one thing that Bollywood could bring in, it would have to be colorful nostalgia of the 80’s. Eastman colors and impressive bright costumes made for the perfect visual treat for the acrobatics and the stunts in the ‘Bollywood Blast’. The cherry on the top was a comic run-of -the -mill Bollywood story of the 80’s that always sought revenge. Scripted by Karthik Chander, the classic theme of good over evil amidst the dance choreography wowed the audience. Vanshika Vipin and Sunil Thakkar gave their special presence with their acting talents. It was a funny take on the run-of-the-mill theme that flooded the 80’s movie scripts. The storyline is focused on a thief who is double-crossed by his partner and sent to jail, who later in his life meets with his son to seek revenge. As each Bollywood story would have it, the virtues win over vice in this dance choreography too.

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Choreographed by Kavita Rao, director of Karmagraphy, the troop performed an astounding aerial act on the song ‘San Sanana’ from the movie Asoka. Known for her contemporary style of dancing and having been featured in various television shows in USA, Kavita took the dancing bar to another level with their vivacious Salsa performance on ‘Senorita’.  ‘Munni Badnaam’ , ‘Disco wale Khisko’, ‘Mehboob mere’ and ‘Jai Ho’  were few other hip shakers for the Houstonians who were swaying in rhythm of the music.

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An evening that ends with a standing ovation is an evening well remembered. With an active support from Infused Performing Arts and Karmagraphy, Samskriti gave the dance lovers of Houston one of the most memorable nights to remember. The event photography was done by Navin Mediwala and Liz Macias. The organisers thanked their partners in progress, especially the collaborators and sponsors for making this grand event a success.

For those who want to still bask in the pleasure of dancing moves, hop on to these two future shows: INFUSION 2015 on October 3, at 4:30 pm at New Stafford Centre (free event) and the Rockets Halftime Bollywood performance  on  April 13, 2016.